Getting dragged along for the ride

angelicamusic5 This one was way longer than anticipated.

***

Kayano kept staring at him during lunch where he was sat alone near the back of the class eating.

"...So." She turned the Nagisa who's joined his desk with hers. "How exactly is Asano in our class again?" She whispered, smiling sheepishly. "He was getting top grades before midterms this semester..."

Nagisa grimaced, poking at his lunch. "Uh, I don't know..."

"I heard he had like a mental breakdown during second-semester midterms," Sugino whispered, joining them. "That's why he dropped off."

"That doesn't sound like Asano, though..." Nagisa murmured, sneaking a peek at the solemn-looking boy who was eating his neatly arranged lunch from his bento box. "Even after first semester finals, he seemed confident..."

Karma shrugged, looking faintly annoyed when he looked over. "Talk about disappointing."

Sugino frowned, glancing over at him. "It's really weird—" He yelped when Gakushuu's sharp gaze shot to glare at him. "Uh..."

The rest of the class looked over curiously.

Gakushuu narrowed his eyes at the three of them darkly. "Hm." He wrinkled his nose like there was a bad smell. "If you're going to stalk me like the octopus you might want to exercise some subtly."

Nagisa ducked his head in his embarrassment while Sugino looked sheepish.

Kayano smiled apprehensively. "Wanna sit with us?"

Sugino nearly choked and a few of the other students looked surprised, while Karma raised an eyebrow.

Gakushuu visibly tensed, staring at them with a strong level of suspicion, but he was saved from a response when Koro-sensei came rushing into the classroom, back from his Origami event with a handful of folded paper.

"Hello, children!" Koro-sensei greeted brightly, carefully placing the origami figured on his desk.

"Hey, are those for us?!" Fuwa asked, putting her lunch down to stand up.

"Of course!" Koro-sensei told them as they started to gather around. "They're leftovers from my little competition." He chuckled. "The judges were very impressed!"

Maehara raised an eyebrow, picking up a delicately folded rabbit. "Kind of an unfair advantage with the whole mach 20 speed."

"More like an unfair advantage being a super creature!" Okano stated.

Koro-sense gave a nervous laugh. "I swear I slowed down. Besides, there weren't any prizes."

"Kind of a missed opportunity considering how broke you are half the time," Mimura commented, causing a few of the others to laugh.

Their teacher huffed. "I'm not as broke this month!"

His students didn't look convinced.

"Right, sure." Nakamura rolled her eyes, picking up a penguin Figure. "Anyway, can we really take one?"

"Of course!" Koro-sensei replied brightly. "You all performed so well last term and the summer, this is just a little reward!"

"Aw, thanks, sir!" Kurahashi smiled warmly, picking up a butterfly figure.

Koro-sensei beamed happily when he saw his students each take an origami figure.

Gakushuu watched them from the back, staying seated while his 'new' classmates gathered around their teacher's desk to pick up the gifts brought.